When it comes to Chinese it is important to understand that there is a distinction between the spoken and written forms of the language. There are dozens of dialects in China but the most widely spoken ones are Mandarin and Cantonese. Neither of these dialects have any direct connection however, to written Chinese which has two main writing systems itself, Traditional and Simplified. A Mandarin speaker for example may write in the Traditional or Simplified script. Interestingly enough, it is not uncommon for people who cannot communicate verbally in Chinese to be able to understand each other through writing. Knowing the spoken dialect is therefore not enough information to be able to define the written dialect that a target audience will use.

Chinese is one of the oldest written languages, dating back thousands of years. The most important and impactful change to the written Chinese language took place in 1956 when the government introduced the Simplified Chinese script in an effort to promote literacy throughout the country. As its name implies in this new script the characters were simplified by reducing the number of strokes.

If it is not possible to ask the audience which written Chinese they require or use, the best indication is likely to be the geographical region where the target audience lives. The table below summarizes the written and spoken preferences of each major Chinese territory:



Age is another factor to consider when deciding which script to use. The aging population tends to write in the Traditional script. For Medicare documents and other medical forms geared toward this population it is recommended to use Traditional Chinese. Currently the majority of Chinese in the U.S. use Traditional Chinese, but this trend is shifting towards Simplified Chinese. If your target audience is younger, or has more recently immigrated from China, it may be more appropriate to choose Simplified Chinese which is now taught in most Chinese schools.

If you’re still not sure whether your translation should be into Traditional or Simplified Chinese talk to your LSP. Your provider can give you some samples of Traditional and Simplified text which you can show to your audience to determine their preference.

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Isabel
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